Emergent BioSolutions Inc. said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has exercised options under contract 200-2012-52242 for the supply of Vaccinia Immune Globulin (VIGIV) into the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile. VIGIV is a therapeutic licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) for the treatment of complications due to smallpox vaccination. The contract options, valued at $44 million over two years, will require Emergent to collect plasma for future manufacturing in addition to current collection requirements, conduct manufacturing runs, and conduct additional activities in support of maintaining the FDA licensure of VIGIV.

"Emergent is proud to support the U.S. government's implementation of its long-term stockpiling strategy. Thirteen years after VIGIV was first delivered to the SNS, VIGIV still remains a critical medical countermeasure in the government's preparedness efforts," said Adam Havey, executive vice president and president, biodefense division, Emergent BioSolutions. "We are pleased that CDC has exercised these contract options and look forward to successfully addressing their requirements."

This contract modification increases the total contract value to approximately $80 million. The scope of the contract, originally awarded to Cangene Corporation, which Emergent acquired in February 2014, was to maintain the ability to manufacture licensed VIGIV, with annual options to conduct additional services to support licensure maintenance activities for the product and to allow for additional manufacturing and plasma collections. VIGIV was first delivered into the SNS in 2002 and was subsequently licensed in the U.S. by FDA in 2005 and in Canada by Health Canada in 2007.